


Teenage dream

by SugdenLovesDingle



Series: Tumblr prompts [10]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Teen Romance, hints of homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23359240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugdenLovesDingle/pseuds/SugdenLovesDingle
Summary: A collection of fics and ficlets set in a teen boyfriends AU.
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Series: Tumblr prompts [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607773
Comments: 3
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this started as a little prompt on tumblr but then someone asked me to write more - and it became a bit long as just a drabble/ficlet. So I'm posting it here too. The two parts (so far) I've written aren't exactly chapters but more like... little bits and pieces all set in the same universe.
> 
> feel free to request other things you'd like to see in this universe!

“Robert! Take my hand!” Aaron jogged up to Robert and instead of waiting for Robert to do something, he grabbed the other boy’s hand himself.

“What?”

“Your dad’s watching.” Aaron explained and kissed Robert’s cheek. “Have to make it look good.”

“Oh… right.” Robert looked past Aaron and indeed saw Jack walking down the street on his way to the pub. He started swinging his and Aaron’s joined hands between them. “Let’s put on a bit of a show for him.”

They weren’t together, not really. They’d been friends since they were both in nappies, but when Aaron had come out not too long ago and Jack had told Robert not to hang around poofs, Robert had announced he was bisexual and Aaron was his boyfriend.

Partly to see the look of pure horror on his dad’s face, partly to stick up for his best friend.

Word had spread around school and the village quickly and most people had accepted them as love’s young dream without giving it a second thought. Most people did not include Jack. Or Chas for that matter.

“What did you have in mind?” Aaron asked, walking impossibly close to Robert and giving him his best loved up smile.

Robert smiled back at him and put an arm around his waist.

“Fancy a drink?” he nodded to the pub.

“Are you sure? I think my mum is working this afternoon.”

“Even better. Two for the price of one.”

The pub was busy but Robert managed to get them a booth directly in Jack’s line of sight.

“Drink?” he asked Aaron.

“Just a coke. I have a maths test tomorrow, I should keep a clear head.”

“I’ll help you study.” Robert said and kissed him before going over to the bar to get their drinks.

“You’re doing this on purpose aren’t you?” Jack said after Robert had ordered two cokes from Charity because Chas ignored him.

“Do what, dad? Have a drink? This is a pub. Where people come to drink.”

“You know what.” Jack said through clenched teeth. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Robert said as he paid for the drinks and smiled sweetly before returning to his and Aaron’s booth, and instead of sitting down on the other side of the table, he sat down next to Aaron.

“Your dad looks like he’s about two seconds away from a coronary.”

Robert shrugged.

“He probably is. We’re embarrassing ourselves apparently. Or well, I am… but I guess that means you are too.”

“Guilty by association… I can live with that.” Aaron said and they both laughed.

They spent the next half hour chatting about a new film Aaron really wanted to see and had been trying to convince Robert to come see with him for weeks.

Robert’s arm was resting on the bench behind Aaron, mindlessly playing with a loose thread on his shirt, and Aaron’s hand was on Robert’s leg.

To anyone watching they looked like any regular teen couple.

“If I say yes will you shut up about this damn film?” Robert said, only half joking.

“If you say yes will you come along without complaining the entire time?”

“I can’t make any promises.” Robert said and Aaron rolled his eyes at him. “But for you I’ll try.”

“That’s as good as I’ll ever get from you.” Aaron said affectionately and leaned in to peck Robert on the lips.

Only a small peck turned into more when Aaron pulled back and saw… something in Robert’s eyes. Something that made him grab Robert’s tie and pull him in for a proper kiss.

He’d kissed Robert plenty of times in the month or three they’d been having this arrangement, but never like this. Never this real. Never with Robert’s tongue licking into his mouth. Never with his hands cupping his face. Never with those sounds he was making.

It made his head spin and he wasn’t sure if it was from lack of oxygen or just from kissing Robert, but he never wanted it to stop.

Thankfully Robert didn’t seem to mind exactly if the way he was kissing him back was anything to go by.

When the need for air became too much and they broke the kiss, something had changed between them and they both felt it.

Robert’s hands were still on Aaron’s face, and Aaron had trouble focusing on anything other than the other boy’s lips.

“Your dad’s gone.” Aaron said when he regained the ability to speak.

“I don’t care.” Robert replied and moved his hands to the back of Aaron’s head to pull him back in for another kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

“This is the best day off I’ve had in a long time.” Robert smiled.

The weather was nice, their history teacher was sick so class got cancelled, and he’d just spent the better part of an afternoon lying in the grass and kissing Aaron in the sunshine.

“When you said come back to mine so we can hang out on the farm, I didn’t think this is what you had in mind.” Aaron commented.

“Are you complaining? Would you rather muck out stables? Work in the barn?”

“Well… there are interesting things you can do in barns… all that hay.”

“Ah so that’s why you’re here.” Robert grinned, propping himself up on his elbows. “You just want to roll around in the hay.”

“Isn’t that the only reason anyone ever dates a farm boy?” Aaron grinned back and leaned in for another kiss.

“Oh for god’s sake is this charade still going on?” Jack’s voice boomed across the field and snapped the two boys out of their loved up haze. “Every time I turn around he’s there.” he motioned at Aaron as they both sat up.

“So what?” Robert dared him. “Katie Addyman might as well move in, she’s here that often. But you never say anything about that.”

“That’s different.”

“How? Because she’s a girl?”

“Because she and Andy don’t throw it in my face all the time.”

“Really?” Robert stood up. “She spends the night and you won’t even let Aaron stay for tea.”

“Katie is a nice girl.” Jack settled on. “She’s a good influence on Andy. Not some criminal in training.”

“What?! That’s my boyfriend you’re talking about!” Robert yelled, getting angry.

“I’ve heard the stories. It’s no wonder he’s living with Paddy now. His own mother couldn’t handle him.”

“Since when do you listen to gossip, dad?” Robert asked.

“It’s not gossip when Chas herself told me.”

“So you can talk about us behind our backs with Aaron’s mum but you can’t accept him as my boyfriend?”

Robert was getting angrier by the minute, gearing up for a full on fight with his father.

“Rob… it’s ok… just leave it…” Aaron had gotten up too and grabbed Robert’s arm to get him to focus on him instead of Jack. “It’s ok. I should go. I promised Rhona I’d watch Leo for a bit this afternoon anyway.”

“You don’t have to go because of him.”

“I’m not, I promise. I’ll text you later ok?” Aaron said and turned to leave but Robert stopped him and pulled him into a kiss.

Partly because he wanted to say goodbye to Aaron properly, partly because he wanted to piss off Jack some more.

“Later…” He promised Aaron before he left.

“Are you done with your little performance now?”

“Performance?” Robert felt his anger rise again. Yes they might have started out as a way to wind up Jack, but these days he and Aaron were the real deal. “Like Andy and Katie you mean? The two of them acting like the perfect couple when all they do is cheat on each other.”

“Don’t make things up to make your brother look bad.” Jack said, dismissing him and walking away to the barn.

“I’m not making things up, dad. Everyone at school knows Andy shagged Debbie Dingle in the toilets at the Christmas gala. And Katie tried it on with me! But I turned her down because I have a boyfriend!”

“Will you keep your voice down?” Jack hissed. “It’s bad enough that you’re flaunting your little act all over the village, I don’t need the rest of Yorkshire to hear it.”

Robert laughed.

“That’s it, isn’t it dad? You’re a big homophobe and you don’t want people to know your son is dating another boy.”

“I am not… I have nothing against those people. I just know my own son and I know you’re only doing it to get a rise out of me.”

Robert shook his head.

“You’re wrong. Aaron is my boyfriend and I love him.”

Jack snorted.

“Don’t use words you don’t know the meaning of.”

“I think I know it better than you! Aaron is my boyfriend and I love him!” Robert repeated. “Maybe we’ll even get married one day. Settle down in the village and have a couple of kids. We’ll change our names to Sugden - Dingle or Dingle - Sugden and the kids will call you grandpa Jack.”

“Quiet Robert!” Jack ordered.

Robert shook his head. He’d mostly said those things to get a rise out of his father but he had to admit to himself, he liked the idea of maybe settling down with Aaron one day.

“I have to go.” he said more to himself than to Jack and started running in the general direction of the village.

“You’re not going anywhere, Robert!” Jack yelled. “Where do you think you’re going?!”

“To tell my boyfriend I love him!” Robert yelled back, the look on Jack’s face an added bonus.

He ran all the way to Smithy Cottage and banged on the door. When Aaron opened it, Robert lunged at him and kissed him.

“Hello to you too.” Aaron said and laughed slightly when they broke the kiss. “What was that for? What are you doing here? Are you alright? You’re shaking.”

“I’m ok. I’m great. Perfect.” Robert panted, exhausted from running all the way but the adrenaline keeping him upright.

“Why are you so out of breath? Did you have another fight with your dad?”

“No. Yes. Doesn’t matter.”

Robert took a few deep breaths to try to get his breathing under control and his heart rate back to normal.

“I had to see you. To tell you something.”

Aaron frowned.

“Did you run here or something?” He asked and Robert nodded. “Why didn’t you just text me?”

“Wanted to see your face when I told you.”

“Tell me what?”

Robert smiled, took Aaron’s hand and made him step outside.

“That I love you.” he said and kissed a stunned Aaron.

“You what?”

“I know… I know we started out as a way to piss of my dad, which worked like a charm by the way.” Robert said and laughed. “But… I really like you now. More than that. It’s real. I love you. And maybe one day we’ll get married and have kids and everything… but right now… I just wanted to tell you… that I love you.”

“I… what? Are… are you sure?”

“Never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Really? Wow… I… don’t really know what to say.” Aaron stammered.

“I love you too, Robert would be nice. Or something along those lines.” Robert offered and Aaron laughed.

“Yeah, you’re right. I suppose I do. I love you too, Robert.” He wrapped his arms around Robert’s neck and kissed him. “But you’re mad for running all the way over here.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little Easter goodness

Aaron knocked on the door, feeling like an idiot. He’d been to this house so often, it was like his second home. He always went through the stable next to the house to let him in through the side door that was never locked. But now he was coming to see Robert, not as his friend, but as his boyfriend. Plus it was Easter which meant Jack would most definitely be home instead of conveniently out to a cattle market or something.

Andy opened the door almost instantly and his face fell when he saw Aaron.

“Oh. It’s you.”

He turned around and left the door open for Aaron to come in.

“Hello to you too, Andy. Happy Easter to you too.” Aaron said sarcastically, stepping into the farmhouse.

“You didn’t see Katie on your way over, did you?” Andy asked, ignoring Aaron’s greeting. “She said she’d come over the other day but she’s not replying to my texts now.”

“Nope… She’s probably busy with her family…” Aaron offered.

“Yeah… that’ll be it.”

“Is Robert upstairs?” Aaron asked, one foot on the bottom step, hoping the answer would be yes.

“No he’s through there.” Andy gestured in the general direction of the living room. “Vic wanted the whole family together for breakfast so the lazy git finally got out of bed.”

“Right. Thanks.” Aaron said, biting his tongue not to snap at Andy that Robert wasn’t lazy but had a broken ankle after falling off his bike. He sighed and braced himself as he made his way to the living room, hoping Jack wouldn’t be around.

He pushed the door open and thankfully he only saw Robert lounging on the sofa watching tv with Victoria snuggled up to his side.

Aaron knocked on the open door.

“Hey you.” 

Robert looked up and smiled when he saw his boyfriend.

“Hey.” he said happily as he tried to sit up a little more. “I didn’t know you were coming. I thought you would be spending the day with your family.”

“What family?” Aaron shrugged. “Had breakfast with Rhona and Paddy and Leo this morning… and then Paddy got called out to an emergency. So… I figured I’d come see you. See how you’re doing.”

“He’s grumpy.” Vic complained and Aaron laughed. He liked Robert’s sister. She was the only one in the family that had been happy when she found out her brother and his best friend were now boyfriends.

“I’m not!” Robert protested. “And if I’m that grumpy, why do you want to watch TV with me, brat?” he teased and Vic stuck out her tongue.

“You just want to snog your boyfriend.”

“Yes, yes I do. So get lost.”

Vic giggled but left them alone, saying something about helping Jack with the lambs.

When they were alone Aaron carefully leaned over Robert and kissed him hello before sitting down next to him.

“Hey. Happy Easter.”

“It is now.” Robert said and then noticed the bag in Aaron’s hand. “What’s that?”

Aaron blushed.

“It’s uh… for you…”

“What? You brought me grapes or something?” Robert joked.

“No. Not exactly grapes… I figured you’d like this better than grapes… but it’s a bit naff…”

“I’m sure it’s not.”

Aaron handed him the bag and bit his lip. He’d been so sure when he’d bought it but now he felt stupid.

“No way! Aaron are you mad? These cost a fortune!” Robert said when he opened the bag and took out his present.

“It wasn’t that much… “ he mumbled.

“Liar.” Robert replied and turned his present over in his hands. It was a large chocolate Easter egg with his name written on it in white chocolate. With a little heart after it for good measure.

“I was in town with Rhona the other day… she got one for me and Leo… I thought you’d like it as a get well soon present. They let me write it on myself. Rhona knows the owner. Treated his cat or something.”

“These cost a fortune.” Robert repeated. “I would’ve been happy with a cream egg from Tesco.”

“I just wanted to get you something special… and I know how you live on chocolate this time of year.” Aaron teased.

“That’s what Easter is for!” Robert insisted. “But it’s great. Thank you.” he leaned over and kissed Aaron to thank him. “I don’t want to eat it.”

“Are you feeling alright? Who are you and what have you done with Robert?” Aaron asked laughingly and put his hand to Robert’s forehead.

“Shut up.” Robert batted Aaron’s hand away. “It’s just… special. I want to save it for a bit. It’s the first thing you’ve given me.”

Aaron smiled.

“I had a feeling you were going to say that, you big sap.” he pulled a bag of tiny easter eggs from his jacket pocket. “These are from the shop, do you want to share?”


End file.
